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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. press — to push
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bank — for money
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bank — of a river
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bore — to tire
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bank — for money
  17. swing — music
  18. bore — to drill
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — not warm
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. swing — in golf

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