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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rule — a law
  4. branch — a division
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. mug — a face
  14. shower — rain
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mug — to rob
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rule — government
  22. press — to push
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — newspapers

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