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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — to play on
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. press — newspapers
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — to sink
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — music
  18. date — the fruit
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. dip — a sauce

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