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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. land — to come down
  11. net — after costs
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. land — ground
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rule — government
  17. bound — tied together
  18. present — there
  19. rule — a law
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. land — a country
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. nail — on a finger

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