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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. rule — government
  6. track — a path
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. kick — in football
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ball — a dance
  22. press — to push
  23. track — a song
  24. bore — to drill

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