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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — final
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — a publisher
  7. rule — government
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rule — a law
  15. last — finally
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bore — to drill
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. last — to go on
  24. nail — for a hammer

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