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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. ground — crushed
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ground — the earth
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mate — a partner
  13. rock — a stone
  14. hand — help
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. press — a publisher
  18. staff — employees
  19. ground — a position
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — to push
  23. rock — music
  24. cell — in biology

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