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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 116 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wound — an injury
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — humankind
  14. swing — in golf
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wound — an injury
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. press — to push
  21. race — a contest
  22. swing — music
  23. bat — the animal
  24. dip — to sink

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