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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. dip — to sink
  3. mark — a trace
  4. press — newspapers
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. file — a tool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. tube — the underground
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bat — the animal
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. press — to push
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — to crush
  18. press — a publisher
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. squash — the sport
  21. file — a line of people
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mark — to pay attention

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