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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — a friend
  3. craft — boats
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mate — a partner
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — a publisher
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. craft — a skill
  15. tear — to rip
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. fall — the season
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. chair — a professorship

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