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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. spell — magic
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. clip — to cut
  6. clip — for paper
  7. spell — a short time
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. mark — a grade
  10. spell — letters
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — to push
  13. charge — electricity
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. charge — in control
  16. wake — a trail
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. clip — a video
  22. charge — a price
  23. mark — a trace
  24. press — newspapers

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