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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rule — a law
  3. fine — all right
  4. press — to push
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a music group
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. band — a ring
  10. press — a publisher
  11. ball — a great time
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ball — a dance
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mug — to rob
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rule — government
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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