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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rule — government
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. net — after costs
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pit — in a race
  8. ground — crushed
  9. rule — a law
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. net — for catching
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ground — the earth
  14. vault — a safe
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — in sport

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