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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. press — to push
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. march — music
  5. spell — a short time
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of law
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to sink
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. march — the month
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. court — of a king
  17. press — newspapers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. spell — magic
  20. march — the month
  21. mine — for digging
  22. court — for sport
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. staff — a stick

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