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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 120 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 meat?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. mate — to breed
  4. swing — music
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — a container
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rush — hurry
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. season — of the year
  11. ground — crushed
  12. press — a publisher
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mate — a friend
  15. season — in sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. prune — to trim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — the underground
  23. press — to push
  24. mate — a partner

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