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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. toast — bread
  5. season — in sport
  6. last — final
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. last — to go on
  9. band — a music group
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. rule — government
  15. press — to push
  16. last — finally
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. field — for sport
  19. rule — a law
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. field — farmland
  23. band — a ring
  24. press — newspapers

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