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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. press — a publisher
  2. foot — a measure
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. march — the month
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. press — to push
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kick — in football
  12. march — music
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rule — a law
  16. march — the month
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. shower — rain
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pound — a weight
  23. foot — part of the body
  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