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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rule — government
  3. face — to confront
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. press — a publisher
  6. face — to point toward
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — an amount
  9. board — a committee
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. board — to get on
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — a tin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. rule — a law
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. can — a tin
  20. band — a ring
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — part of the head
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. can — to be able to

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