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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — to go on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. last — final
  6. file — a line of people
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. file — a document
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mug — a cup
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. club — for dancing
  14. snap — to click
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a tool
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — a face
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mug — to rob
  21. press — to push
  22. club — for golf
  23. rash — a series
  24. press — newspapers

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