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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — to breed
  3. swing — to play on
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. swing — in golf
  6. press — newspapers
  7. swing — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mark — a trace
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — the earth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. ground — a position
  17. mark — a grade
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — a measure
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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