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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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Word bank
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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wound — an injury
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — a partner
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pound — a weight
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. last — to go on
  13. snap — to click
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — a friend
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — 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