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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — a break
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. press — newspapers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mug — a face
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rest — what's left
  14. kick — in football
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. press — a publisher
  19. chest — of your body
  20. press — to push
  21. lean — to bend
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mug — a cup
  24. tear — from crying

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