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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. mug — to rob
  4. season — in sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. season — of the year
  7. chip — for betting
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spring — the season
  13. mug — a cup
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — part of the head
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. object — a thing
  20. object — to protest
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — to eat

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