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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. press — to push
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. stem — to come from
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — bread
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. press — newspapers
  16. court — for sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. court — of law

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