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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mug — a face
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. press — to push
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. court — of a king
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — a publisher
  13. court — of law
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bear — the animal
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mug — to rob
  21. court — for sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. mug — a cup

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