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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. spring — the season
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — a leader
  13. spell — a short time
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — magic
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spring — a coil
  21. cell — in biology
  22. spell — letters
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. toast — bread

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