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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. march — the month
  4. press — newspapers
  5. object — to protest
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — to push
  8. march — music
  9. mate — a friend
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. dip — to sink
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. press — a publisher
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in biology
  22. object — a thing
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. object — an aim

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