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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. staff — employees
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. press — to push
  6. staff — employees
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. press — a publisher
  11. lean — thin
  12. drill — army training
  13. toast — bread
  14. bass — the fish
  15. swing — in golf
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bass — low music
  18. press — newspapers
  19. staff — a stick
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. drill — the tool
  23. lean — to bend
  24. dip — to sink

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