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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 116 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 sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. staff — a stick
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the sport
  7. press — to push
  8. staff — employees
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lie — to recline
  12. press — newspapers
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lie — an untruth

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