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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ground — crushed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mate — to breed
  8. press — to push
  9. mug — a face
  10. mate — a friend
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — the earth
  17. squash — the sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mug — a cup

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