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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. hand — help
  3. rock — music
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. season — of the year
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. file — a document
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. file — a tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. dip — to sink
  18. season — in sport
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. mark — a trace
  21. press — newspapers
  22. file — a line of people
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — a sauce

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