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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — for catching
  4. rest — a break
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. press — to push
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rule — government
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fine — all right
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. pit — a hole
  17. net — after costs
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — rain
  23. fine — high quality
  24. row — a quarrel

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