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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. band — a ring
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. band — a music group
  7. snap — to click
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — newspapers
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mate — a friend
  12. fall — the season
  13. press — to push
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mate — to breed
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — a stone
  24. mate — a partner

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