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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. last — final
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. last — finally
  6. band — a ring
  7. present — there
  8. press — a publisher
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — the time now
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — a gift
  22. tube — a container
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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