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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. can — to be able to
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. saw — the tool
  5. scale — in music
  6. last — to go on
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. last — final
  9. scale — size or range
  10. press — a publisher
  11. can — a tin
  12. press — newspapers
  13. saw — the tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — an untruth

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