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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. season — of the year
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. row — a line
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. press — to push
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bear — the animal
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. stand — to bear
  21. row — to paddle
  22. bear — the animal
  23. shower — rain
  24. dip — a sauce

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