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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. press — a publisher
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. press — to push
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — to fit
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. clip — a video

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