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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — a break
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — to tease
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. shower — to wash
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lie — to recline
  14. press — to push
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. kid — child
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rest — what's left
  23. shower — rain
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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