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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. fall — to drop
  3. present — there
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fall — to drop
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — a grade
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. present — a gift
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. press — newspapers
  16. staff — employees
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — to push
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — the season
  21. staff — employees
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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