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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 120 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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. band — a ring
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. swing — in golf
  7. press — to push
  8. last — finally
  9. swing — to play on
  10. fine — all right
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. pit — a hole
  15. last — to go on
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — final
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rule — government
  22. swing — music
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — a law

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