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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. press — to push
  4. row — a line
  5. mate — a partner
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. lie — to recline
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. press — newspapers
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chest — of your body
  20. row — to paddle
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mate — to breed
  23. toast — bread
  24. chip — for betting

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