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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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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: ruler · toast · season · pit · dip · spell · clip · press

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. spell — a short time
  4. clip — for paper
  5. season — in sport
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pit — in a race
  11. dip — to sink
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pit — a hole
  16. spell — magic
  17. season — of the year
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. spell — letters
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. press — a publisher
  23. clip — a video
  24. pit — a fruit 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