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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. 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. root — the cause
  2. pit — a hole
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — to go on
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. row — a line
  15. rule — government
  16. row — to paddle
  17. bat — the animal
  18. last — final
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rule — a law
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. 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