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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rule — a law
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bound — tied together
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bound — certain
  9. press — to push
  10. capital — a city
  11. craft — boats
  12. capital — money
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — a hole
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. press — newspapers

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