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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mark — a trace
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mark — a grade
  7. dip — to sink
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. file — a tool
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spring — the season
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spring — of water

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