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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. toast — bread
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — to push
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ground — crushed
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — a publisher
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. prune — to trim

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