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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. charge — electricity
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rest — what's left
  8. press — newspapers
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — a publisher
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — to push
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. straw — dry grass

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