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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — a partner
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — a publisher
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. wake — a trail
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. swing — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. drill — the tool
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. press — to push
  19. drill — army training
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. swing — in golf
  22. mate — to breed
  23. press — newspapers
  24. swing — to play on

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