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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. press — to push
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. present — the time now
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. present — a gift
  11. press — newspapers
  12. land — ground
  13. wake — a trail
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. press — a publisher
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. land — a country
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. saw — the tool

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