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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pop — soda
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. last — finally
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. staff — employees
  10. wake — a trail
  11. press — a publisher
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pop — to visit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. pop — music
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. press — newspapers
  23. last — final
  24. squash — the sport

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