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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. branch — a division
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. press — to push
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rule — government
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. stand — to bear
  16. kid — child
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. date — the fruit
  19. press — newspapers
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — a law
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stand — for spectators

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