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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mug — a cup
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — an illness
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a friend
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. mug — a face
  19. press — to push
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. squash — the sport
  24. mug — to rob

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