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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. staff — employees
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. present — the time now
  5. press — newspapers
  6. lean — thin
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. press — a publisher
  12. staff — employees
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lean — to bend
  20. press — to push
  21. present — a gift
  22. bat — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. bass — the fish

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