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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. season — in sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. season — of the year
  9. fine — high quality
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — for sport
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — of a king
  20. spring — the season
  21. court — of law
  22. spring — a coil
  23. fine — all right
  24. season — to add flavour

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