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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mate — a partner
  3. press — to push
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tear — to rip
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. press — a publisher
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. capital — a city
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. tear — from crying
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mate — to breed
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. pass — a permit
  20. squash — the sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. tear — from crying
  23. capital — money
  24. prune — to trim

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