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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. squash — to crush
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. squash — the sport
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — help
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bear — the animal
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bear — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. hand — in cards
  21. press — to push
  22. dip — to sink
  23. drill — a practice
  24. squash — the vegetable

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