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

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. press — a publisher
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fall — the season
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. present — a gift
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. present — there
  11. tear — from crying
  12. tear — from crying
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — to push
  18. lie — to recline
  19. press — newspapers
  20. present — the time now
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. fall — to drop

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