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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. rule — government
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. land — to come down
  8. press — newspapers
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — the arms race
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. rule — a law
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. date — the fruit
  20. race — a contest
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. row — a line
  24. press — a publisher

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