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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. suit — in cards
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pass — a permit
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wound — an injury
  12. cold — an illness
  13. clip — to cut
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. clip — a video
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. suit — to fit
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. suit — clothes
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — an injury

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