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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. current — of water
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rule — a law
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. current — happening now
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. current — electric
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. press — to push
  23. net — in sport
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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