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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cold — an illness
  13. mate — to breed
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. rule — a law
  17. suit — clothes
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — a group
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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