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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ball — a great time
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bat — the animal
  6. press — to push
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. press — newspapers

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