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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. spell — letters
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. spell — magic
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. march — the month
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — a publisher
  12. spell — a short time
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cell — a phone
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — to push
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pass — to succeed

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