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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. march — the month
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bat — the animal
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — to come from
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. march — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. dip — to sink

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