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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. march — the month
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cold — an illness
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. press — a publisher
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. press — to push
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. press — newspapers
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. hand — help
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cold — not warm

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