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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. toast — bread
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. swing — music
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. press — newspapers
  10. swing — to play on
  11. face — to confront
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — to push
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. saw — the tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. press — a publisher
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mark — a trace
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. face — to point toward

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