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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 116 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. squash — to crush
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — for paper
  10. squash — the sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. capital — money
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. chair — a leader
  15. clip — a video
  16. clip — to cut
  17. stand — to bear
  18. rule — government
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rule — a law
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. capital — a city
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. stand — on your feet

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