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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — finally
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. press — to push
  6. dip — to sink
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. rash — a series
  9. pop — to visit
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pop — music
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. last — to go on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pop — soda
  24. saw — the tool

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