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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 116 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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. press — to push
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — not warm
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. last — final
  10. snap — to click
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. last — finally
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. season — of the year
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. cold — an illness
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — to go on
  22. rock — music
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. press — a publisher

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