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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: press · cabinet · staff · hide · rule · game · mate · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. staff — employees
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. staff — employees
  9. rule — a law
  10. game — a match
  11. press — a publisher
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. staff — a stick
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. game — wild animals
  19. press — to push
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mug — to rob
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mate — a partner

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