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

Word bank: tear · press · net · row · rule · mine · ruler · pass

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. row — to paddle
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. net — for catching
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — to push
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. rule — a law
  13. tear — to rip
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. net — after costs
  17. row — a line
  18. mine — for digging
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rule — government
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — in sport
  23. pass — a permit
  24. tear — from crying

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