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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. press — newspapers
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — the earth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. press — a publisher
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — a line
  14. ground — a position
  15. tube — a container
  16. wake — a trail
  17. press — to push
  18. row — to paddle
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. ground — crushed
  24. date — on the calendar

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