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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. shower — rain
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spring — the season
  10. pop — to visit
  11. march — the month
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — of water
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pop — soda
  23. spell — a short time
  24. pop — music

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