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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tear — from crying
  3. object — a thing
  4. press — to push
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. object — to protest
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tear — to rip
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — after costs
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — for catching
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. net — in sport
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pound — a weight

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