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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. staff — employees
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — to push
  12. shower — rain
  13. mate — a friend
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — a container
  19. press — newspapers
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — a publisher
  24. staff — a stick

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