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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cell — a phone
  3. press — to push
  4. hand — help
  5. press — a publisher
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mug — to rob
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. press — newspapers
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — a cup
  21. spell — letters
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cell — in biology
  24. spell — magic

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