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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. shower — to wash
  3. press — newspapers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bank — for money
  9. hand — help
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. squash — to crush
  12. press — to push
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tube — a container
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. bank — of a river
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bank — for money
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — rain
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. suit — in cards
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. suit — clothes

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