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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pop — soda
  5. rule — a law
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — an injury
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. can — a tin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. press — to push
  13. rule — government
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wound — an injury
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pop — music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. snap — to click
  20. press — a publisher
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. dip — to sink
  23. can — a tin
  24. racket — a loud noise

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