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

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. mark — a grade
  9. deal — to handle
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mark — a trace
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. jam — in traffic

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