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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — magic
  6. spell — letters
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — a short time
  9. squash — to crush
  10. ground — the earth
  11. row — a line
  12. cell — in biology
  13. ground — a position
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cell — a phone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. press — to push
  23. row — a quarrel
  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