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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. press — to push
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — newspapers
  12. club — a group
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. club — for dancing
  15. spring — of water
  16. press — a publisher
  17. last — to go on
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. last — final
  20. rush — hurry
  21. club — for golf
  22. fall — the season
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. coach — a trainer

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