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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. rule — government
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — the season
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mug — a face
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — money
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spring — a coil
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — a city
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. spring — of water
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mug — a cup
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com