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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — final
  5. cue — a signal
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. saw — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. last — finally
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cue — for pool
  12. last — to go on
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — in a race
  20. press — newspapers
  21. stand — to bear
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — the tool

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