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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wound — an injury
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. swing — in golf
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. cold — an illness
  12. suit — to fit
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. swing — music
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mark — a trace
  20. branch — a division
  21. swing — to play on
  22. press — to push
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — a grade

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