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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cue — a hint
  5. cue — a signal
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — army training
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cue — for pool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. press — to push
  13. lie — to recline
  14. press — newspapers
  15. drill — a practice
  16. press — a publisher
  17. face — to confront
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — letters
  24. face — to point toward

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