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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fine — all right
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. press — to push
  13. toast — bread
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — a short time
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — a meteor shower

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