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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — a law
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. row — to paddle
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — of a word
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. net — for catching
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. row — a line
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — to push
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pit — a hole
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. rule — government

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