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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — to come down
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. sharp — clever
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. land — ground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wound — an injury
  16. land — a country
  17. press — to push
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. press — a publisher
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. press — newspapers

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