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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. firm — steady
  3. land — ground
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. press — to push
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wound — an injury
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mark — a grade
  15. firm — decided
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — a trace
  19. toast — bread
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — a country
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. firm — a company
  24. land — to come down

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