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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. net — after costs
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — a container
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. rule — government
  7. tube — the underground
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. key — the most important part
  11. race — humankind
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. race — the arms race
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. press — a publisher
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. press — newspapers
  21. race — a contest
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. key — for a lock

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