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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. spring — the season
  4. spring — a coil
  5. club — for dancing
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. press — a publisher
  10. club — for golf
  11. object — a thing
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. press — to push
  14. rule — a law
  15. club — a group
  16. drill — the tool
  17. object — to protest
  18. object — an aim
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — government
  22. wound — an injury
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wound — an injury

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