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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. press — newspapers
  3. drill — a practice
  4. roll — a cake
  5. season — in sport
  6. firm — a company
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spell — a short time
  9. season — of the year
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. squash — the sport
  13. drill — the tool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. press — to push
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. firm — steady
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. drill — army training

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