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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 116 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. press — newspapers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. squash — the sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. field — farmland
  12. drill — army training
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — to push
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. field — a subject
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — to crush
  22. field — for sport
  23. row — a line
  24. rule — a law

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