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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pop — music
  3. shower — rain
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. pop — soda
  7. present — there
  8. press — a publisher
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — to wash
  14. spell — magic
  15. present — a gift
  16. kid — to tease
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. present — the time now

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