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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 116 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. tube — a container
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tube — the underground
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — to push
  10. rock — music
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. lie — to recline
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rock — a stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wake — a trail
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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