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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  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. press — to push
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pop — music
  4. ground — a position
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pop — soda
  7. cell — a phone
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — hasty
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rash — a series
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cell — in biology
  17. snap — to click
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — in football
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  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