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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. press — a publisher
  3. lean — thin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. snap — to click
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — to push
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. mate — to breed
  21. press — newspapers
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. dip — to dunk

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