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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rule — government
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. sharp — clever
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. perch — the fish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — for a bird

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