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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mug — a face
  3. capital — money
  4. press — a publisher
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mug — a cup
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mug — to rob
  10. capital — a city
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. press — to push
  15. mate — to breed
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mate — a friend
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. capital — a big letter

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