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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: date · rule · lie · coach · press · chair

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rule — government
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — a publisher
  5. date — the fruit
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. lie — to recline
  11. chair — a leader
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. rule — a law
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth

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