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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. press — to push
  3. swing — music
  4. rule — government
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. rule — a law
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. swing — in golf
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cap — a lid
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cell — a phone
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cap — a hat
  22. swing — to play on
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. coach — a trainer

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