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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — the season
  6. wind — moving air
  7. last — final
  8. last — finally
  9. chip — for betting
  10. last — to go on
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spring — a coil
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — of water
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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