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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. season — in sport
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. club — for dancing
  12. tube — a container
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. club — for golf
  17. ground — a position
  18. club — a group
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — the earth
  21. press — to push
  22. press — newspapers
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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