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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. press — to push
  3. bear — the animal
  4. snap — to click
  5. press — a publisher
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — for sport
  10. mate — a friend
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — a subject
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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