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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rest — what's left
  3. press — to push
  4. cold — not warm
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wind — moving air
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rest — a break
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. firm — steady
  13. rest — what's left
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. chest — of your body
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — decided
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. chest — a box
  22. cold — an illness
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wind — moving air

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