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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: nail · press · shower · snap · date · pit · toast · rule

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. toast — bread
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. snap — to click
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. date — the fruit
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. press — a publisher
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. rule — government
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pit — in a race
  24. shower — rain

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