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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mate — a friend
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. last — final
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — to handle
  11. swing — in golf
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — finally
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. snap — to click
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. press — a publisher
  20. row — a line
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. row — to paddle
  23. swing — music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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