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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. press — to push
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a great time
  5. press — a publisher
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spell — magic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. lean — thin
  10. lean — to bend
  11. chip — for betting
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. mine — for digging
  24. press — newspapers

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