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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. press — newspapers
  3. staff — employees
  4. cold — an illness
  5. present — the time now
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. staff — employees
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. club — for dancing
  13. cold — not warm
  14. present — a gift
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. present — there
  18. pit — in a race
  19. press — to push
  20. club — a group
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pit — a hole
  23. press — a publisher
  24. club — for golf

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