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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. can — a tin
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cold — an illness
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. cold — not warm
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — a tin
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — to push
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. can — to be able to
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. wind — moving air
  21. press — newspapers
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. press — a publisher

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