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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. roll — a list
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. snap — to click
  6. tear — from crying
  7. toast — bread
  8. capital — money
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. tear — from crying
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. capital — a city
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tear — to rip
  19. date — the fruit
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. toast — the most admired

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