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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. present — the time now
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. present — a gift
  7. press — to push
  8. present — there
  9. spell — a short time
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — letters
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mate — to breed
  14. spell — magic
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — in an idiom

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