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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — to rob
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rule — government
  7. mug — a face
  8. bear — the animal
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mug — a cup
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rule — a law
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. last — finally
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — final

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