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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. object — to protest
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rule — a law
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — an aim
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. object — a thing
  15. season — of the year
  16. press — a publisher
  17. prune — to trim
  18. press — to push
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bat — the animal
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wound — an injury

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