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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cold — an illness
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. roll — a list
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. cold — not warm
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kick — in football

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