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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. mate — a friend
  3. season — of the year
  4. firm — a company
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. season — in sport
  9. press — to push
  10. kid — child
  11. track — a song
  12. firm — steady
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. mate — a partner
  15. kid — to tease
  16. firm — decided
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. track — a path
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rock — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rock — a stone
  24. pass — a permit

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