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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — for catching
  4. hand — help
  5. rule — government
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — steady
  8. lie — to recline
  9. rule — a law
  10. field — a subject
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. firm — a company
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. field — farmland
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. field — for sport
  24. press — to push

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