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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — a law
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. press — a publisher
  9. sharp — clever
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. rule — government
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ruler — a monarch

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