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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mug — a face
  4. capital — a city
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. press — to push
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. shower — rain
  11. capital — money
  12. toast — bread
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. press — newspapers
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mug — a cup

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