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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — a lid
  5. clip — a video
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. cap — of ice
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. suit — clothes
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — to cut
  14. suit — in cards
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rule — a law
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. suit — to fit

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