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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. scale — size or range
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — a partner
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mate — to breed
  14. shower — rain
  15. cap — a hat
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mate — a friend
  20. scale — in music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to click
  23. cap — of ice
  24. press — to push

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