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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. charge — a price
  5. ball — a great time
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. ball — a dance
  8. press — to push
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. wind — moving air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. toast — bread
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. charge — in control
  21. press — a publisher
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. charge — electricity
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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