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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. track — to keep track
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — a path
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pass — a permit
  22. track — a song
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bowl — a football final

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