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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. press — to push
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. field — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitch — completely
  15. field — a subject
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. foot — a measure

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