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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. press — to push
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. wind — moving air
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. toast — bread
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. march — music
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. press — newspapers
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. march — the month

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