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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. toast — bread
  3. can — a tin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. press — to push
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. chair — a leader
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. face — to confront
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. can — to be able to
  23. date — the fruit
  24. tube — in a tire

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