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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — to push
  5. field — farmland
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mark — a trace
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rule — government
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. field — a subject
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rule — a law
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cell — in biology
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. field — for sport

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