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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. cold — not warm
  10. date — the fruit
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. net — after costs
  14. press — newspapers
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. fall — the season
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cold — an illness
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. press — to push
  24. mark — a grade

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