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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kid — to tease
  3. press — to push
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bear — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a partner
  13. last — to go on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stand — to bear
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. kid — child
  18. press — newspapers
  19. last — finally
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — a publisher

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