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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. press — a publisher
  4. snap — to click
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — a partner
  14. press — newspapers
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — to push
  18. chair — a leader
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mouse — the animal

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