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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bank — of a river
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mate — a friend
  8. shower — to wash
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. press — newspapers
  12. shower — rain
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bank — for money
  19. pop — music
  20. season — in sport
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bank — for money
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — to visit

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