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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ball — a great time
  3. drill — a practice
  4. last — final
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. press — to push
  9. ball — a dance
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. mug — a cup
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rule — government
  15. mug — to rob
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — army training
  18. rule — a law
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bark — to shout
  21. last — to go on
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. cell — in biology

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