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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. key — for a lock
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. perch — the fish
  9. track — a path
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — a song
  12. key — the most important part
  13. swing — music
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — in music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — newspapers
  24. swing — in golf

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