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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pit — a hole
  6. rule — government
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rule — a law
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — decided
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — a company
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — a publisher
  20. firm — steady
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. press — to push

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