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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — there
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. present — the time now
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. degree — from a university
  10. press — to push
  11. rush — hurry
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — newspapers
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. press — a publisher
  21. degree — temperature
  22. present — a gift
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tube — a container

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