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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 124 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mate — a partner
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — to push
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cold — not warm
  11. row — a line
  12. bear — the animal
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. saw — the tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — a publisher
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. cold — an illness
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bear — to put up with

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