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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. press — to push
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — magic
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. press — a publisher
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. press — newspapers
  15. fall — the season
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. spell — letters
  18. fall — to drop

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