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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — the animal
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. press — newspapers
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ground — a position
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rule — government
  17. present — there
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to sink
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — to breed
  22. press — to push
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ground — the earth

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