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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rock — a stone
  3. can — a tin
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — to be able to
  9. date — the fruit
  10. mate — a partner
  11. tear — from crying
  12. rock — music
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. mate — to breed
  16. tear — to rip
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. can — a tin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — to push

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