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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. present — a gift
  5. spring — the season
  6. press — a publisher
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. track — a song
  12. spring — of water
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wake — a trail
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — magic
  18. press — newspapers
  19. present — there
  20. track — a path
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. game — a match
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. press — to push

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