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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: pop · mate · rule · arm · last · lie · hide · press

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — a law
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. pop — soda
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pop — to visit
  16. mate — a friend
  17. last — to go on
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. press — newspapers
  21. last — finally
  22. mate — to breed
  23. last — final
  24. press — to push

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