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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spring — of water
  4. can — a tin
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mark — a trace
  8. file — a line of people
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spring — a coil
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bat — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. press — a publisher
  20. mark — a grade
  21. wake — a trail
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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