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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — a publisher
  6. capital — money
  7. rule — government
  8. press — to push
  9. rule — a law
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. prune — to trim
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. capital — a city
  18. kick — in football
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bound — certain
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bat — the animal

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