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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — for money
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bat — the animal
  8. row — to paddle
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. row — a line
  14. bank — for money
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. mark — a trace
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bank — of a river
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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