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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spell — letters
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rock — music
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. press — to push
  12. wind — moving air
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. spell — magic
  16. season — of the year
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — of ice
  19. season — in sport
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. spell — a short time
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rock — a stone

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