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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — there
  5. fall — the season
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. land — ground
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. press — newspapers
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bass — low music
  14. fall — to drop
  15. land — to come down
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fall — to drop
  18. lie — to recline
  19. mug — to rob
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — a country
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mug — a face

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