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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cell — a phone
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. fall — the season
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. bear — the animal
  23. chair — a leader
  24. bear — the animal

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