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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rest — what's left
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mate — a friend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. sharp — clever
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. toast — bread
  20. shower — rain
  21. press — to push
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rest — a break
  24. ground — the earth

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