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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spell — a short time
  3. press — to push
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. march — music
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. chair — a leader
  9. press — newspapers
  10. present — a gift
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. march — the month
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — letters
  22. cue — for pool
  23. present — there
  24. spell — magic

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