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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wind — moving air
  4. drill — army training
  5. press — to push
  6. foot — a measure
  7. ground — a position
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. ground — the earth
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cue — for pool
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cue — a signal

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