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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. roll — a list
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. rush — hurry
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spring — the season
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. spring — of water
  10. press — a publisher
  11. roll — a cake
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. press — to push
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. spring — a coil
  17. press — newspapers
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pass — a permit
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — a jug

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