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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. can — a tin
  5. shower — rain
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rash — hasty
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. shower — to wash
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. can — a tin
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — to be able to
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cold — not warm
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. spell — magic
  24. spell — letters

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