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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · dip · rock · mate · tube · press · march · stick

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. tube — the underground
  3. mate — a partner
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. club — for golf
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — to push
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. press — newspapers
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — music
  14. march — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mate — to breed
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — a group
  24. rock — a stone

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