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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. pit — a hole
  3. rule — government
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. snap — to click
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. pit — in a race
  12. press — newspapers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. row — a line
  15. press — to push
  16. row — to paddle
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitch — completely
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. press — a publisher

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