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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. press — a publisher
  5. present — a gift
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. key — for a lock
  9. chest — a box
  10. press — newspapers
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. present — there
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. drill — the tool
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — army training
  18. key — the most important part
  19. drill — a practice
  20. key — in music
  21. press — to push
  22. present — the time now
  23. rule — a law
  24. chest — of your body

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