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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 get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. file — a line of people
  3. press — newspapers
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. press — to push
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. press — a publisher
  8. spring — of water
  9. file — a document
  10. present — there
  11. scale — size or range
  12. cell — in biology
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. toast — bread
  16. file — a tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kick — in football
  21. present — the time now
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. spring — a coil
  24. cell — in a prison

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