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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mate — to breed
  3. last — finally
  4. can — to be able to
  5. sharp — clever
  6. spring — of water
  7. mate — a friend
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. press — a publisher
  10. spring — the season
  11. shower — to wash
  12. last — to go on
  13. shower — rain
  14. press — newspapers
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. mate — a partner
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. last — final
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spring — a coil
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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