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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. press — to push
  3. ball — a great time
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. net — for catching
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. charge — in control
  10. net — in sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bat — the animal
  13. charge — a price
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — after costs
  18. rule — a law
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. press — a publisher
  22. season — of the year
  23. press — newspapers
  24. calf — of the leg

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