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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. rule — a law
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rock — music
  6. press — to push
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fine — all right
  12. rule — government
  13. track — a path
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. stock — goods
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — shares
  20. fine — high quality
  21. track — to keep track
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. track — a song
  24. press — newspapers

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