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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mark — a trace
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. press — to push
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — thin
  9. press — newspapers
  10. shower — rain
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a grade
  14. squash — to crush
  15. shower — to wash
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — to breed
  20. squash — the sport
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mate — a partner
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. squash — the vegetable

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