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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. toast — bread
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — to push
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. press — a publisher
  7. spring — the season
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. clip — for paper
  13. scale — in music
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. clip — a video
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. scale — size or range
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mark — a grade
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — a trace

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