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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tear — from crying
  7. object — a thing
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rule — government
  10. wind — moving air
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — help
  14. staff — a stick
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. object — to protest
  17. hand — in cards
  18. press — newspapers
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — to push
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. rule — a law

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