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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. press — to push
  4. lean — to bend
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. lean — thin
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. toast — bread
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. drill — a practice
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. press — newspapers
  21. drill — army training
  22. scale — in music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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