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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fall — the season
  3. mate — to breed
  4. present — the time now
  5. present — there
  6. mate — a partner
  7. press — to push
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. present — a gift
  13. fall — to drop
  14. press — a publisher
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — newspapers
  24. nail — for a hammer

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