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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. rule — a law
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. net — in sport
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. net — after costs
  10. press — to push
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. squash — to crush
  18. rule — government
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — newspapers

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