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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. mug — a cup
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mug — a face
  6. stem — to come from
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — to sink
  12. clip — for paper
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. game — wild animals
  20. clip — a video
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — a match
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. mug — to rob

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