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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. press — to push
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. ball — a dance
  11. face — to confront
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rock — music
  19. press — a publisher
  20. capital — money
  21. face — part of the head
  22. capital — a city
  23. bear — the animal
  24. rock — a stone

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