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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · spell · rule · date · spring · mine · deal · press

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. spell — a short time
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pit — in a race
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rule — government
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. deal — to handle
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — letters
  19. mine — for digging
  20. spring — of water
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. spell — magic
  24. spring — the season

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