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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rule — government
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fine — all right
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. rule — a law
  14. land — ground
  15. foot — a measure
  16. press — to push
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. land — a country

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