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

Word bank: press · squash · lie · wind · spell · pit · mate · snap

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lie — to recline
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pit — in a race
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. press — to push
  11. mate — a partner
  12. spell — magic
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. wind — moving air
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spell — letters
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the sport
  22. snap — to click
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lie — an untruth

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