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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 112 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — a coil
  5. rash — a series
  6. press — to push
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. last — final
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — finally
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. spring — of water
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. spring — the season

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