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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — to trim
  8. kick — in football
  9. rule — a law
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — government
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — a hole
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pitch — completely
  19. press — to push
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to confront
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bat — the animal

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