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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — government
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. press — to push
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. spring — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. spring — the season
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — a trace
  11. cap — of ice
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — a grade
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. cap — a lid
  23. march — music
  24. rule — a law

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