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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mark — a grade
  3. press — to push
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. present — a gift
  6. net — after costs
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. net — for catching
  9. row — a line
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. press — a publisher
  12. present — there
  13. press — newspapers
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. present — the time now
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tube — the underground
  18. net — in sport
  19. rule — a law
  20. row — to paddle
  21. tube — a container
  22. mark — a trace
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. coach — a trainer

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