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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. last — final
  3. press — a publisher
  4. stand — to bear
  5. press — to push
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mug — a cup
  11. roll — a cake
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. last — to go on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wax — to grow
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. roll — a list
  21. press — newspapers
  22. last — finally
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mine — an explosive

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