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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rest — a break
  4. press — to push
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. club — a group
  10. present — the time now
  11. club — for dancing
  12. present — a gift
  13. chest — of your body
  14. present — there
  15. club — for golf
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. march — music
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. march — the month
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. plane — in geometry

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