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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. mate — to breed
  3. season — of the year
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — a short time
  8. press — a publisher
  9. hand — help
  10. mate — a friend
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spell — magic
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — letters
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. date — the fruit
  24. date — on the calendar

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