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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. press — newspapers
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. last — final
  6. rule — a law
  7. bound — obliged
  8. press — to push
  9. hand — help
  10. file — a document
  11. press — a publisher
  12. bound — tied together
  13. last — finally
  14. file — a tool
  15. pop — to visit
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bound — certain
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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