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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. last — final
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. spring — of water
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — the season
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. toast — bread
  14. spring — a coil
  15. race — a contest
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. last — to go on
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rule — government
  20. rule — a law
  21. race — humankind
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. race — the arms race

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