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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. net — in sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. press — newspapers
  6. last — finally
  7. net — after costs
  8. club — for golf
  9. rule — government
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. club — a group
  12. rest — a break
  13. last — final
  14. key — for a lock
  15. press — to push
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. net — for catching
  20. press — a publisher
  21. branch — a division
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rest — what's left
  24. last — to go on

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