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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. object — to protest
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — to go on
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. press — to push
  21. object — an aim
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. racket — for tennis

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