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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rule — a law
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. press — to push
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rule — government
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. press — newspapers
  12. court — of law
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. fine — high quality
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — a publisher
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. fine — all right
  23. date — the fruit
  24. court — for sport

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