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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pit — in a race
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — hasty
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. drill — army training
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — to push
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — a series
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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