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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. firm — steady
  5. press — to push
  6. rule — a law
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cold — an illness
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. prune — to trim
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hand — help
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. press — a publisher

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