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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mark — a grade
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. prune — to trim
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pass — a permit
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chest — a box
  24. lie — to recline

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