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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — a country
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — to come down
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. land — ground
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wake — a trail
  16. tube — a container
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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