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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. object — an aim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — a hat
  7. press — to push
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — to protest
  11. prune — to trim
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cap — of ice
  16. chest — a box
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — a thing
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — final
  23. prune — to trim
  24. chest — of your body

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