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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 124 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. march — the month
  3. press — a publisher
  4. hand — help
  5. march — music
  6. mark — a trace
  7. land — a country
  8. rule — government
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — a grade
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. tear — to rip
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rule — a law
  20. tear — from crying
  21. land — ground
  22. march — the month
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mark — to pay attention

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