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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 jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. swing — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — the season
  5. fall — to drop
  6. can — to be able to
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cell — in biology
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. track — a song
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — to play on
  18. date — the fruit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — a path
  24. cell — in a prison

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