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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — to push
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mark — a trace
  11. press — newspapers
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. tear — to rip
  24. pass — a permit

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