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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: rule · pit · march · root · press · temple · mate · bore

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bore — to drill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. march — the month
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. root — of a word
  9. rule — government
  10. root — of a plant
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. march — music
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — the cause
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mate — a partner
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — a hole
  24. mate — a friend

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