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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. toast — bread
  9. rest — a break
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. roll — a list
  13. spell — magic
  14. hand — in cards
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. spell — letters
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pound — a weight
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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