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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. net — after costs
  6. cell — in biology
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. rule — government
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — in sport
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cell — a phone
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — a law
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — newspapers
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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