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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — newspapers
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. press — a publisher
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rule — government
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. press — to push
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. snap — to click
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rule — a law
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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