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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rule — a law
  4. press — newspapers
  5. track — a path
  6. vault — a safe
  7. track — a song
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. track — to keep track
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. board — to get on
  15. chest — a box
  16. press — to push
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rule — to rule out

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