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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — to push
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. track — a path
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — not warm
  23. track — a song
  24. press — newspapers

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