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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. club — a group
  10. last — final
  11. press — a publisher
  12. last — finally
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. press — newspapers
  16. suit — clothes
  17. last — to go on
  18. suit — to fit
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bark — to shout
  23. club — for golf
  24. suit — in cards

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