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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — a country
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. rash — a series
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rash — hasty
  7. press — to push
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bore — to drill
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. stock — goods
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. land — to come down
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. stock — shares
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — to tire
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. chair — a leader

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