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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. march — the month
  3. staff — employees
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fine — all right
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — high quality
  12. staff — a stick
  13. press — a publisher
  14. key — the most important part
  15. pop — music
  16. staff — employees
  17. march — music
  18. key — in music
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. prune — to trim
  22. press — newspapers
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pop — soda

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