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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rest — what's left
  4. press — a publisher
  5. press — to push
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — a cup
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rest — a break
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — wild animals
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cold — an illness
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mug — a face
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. track — a song
  23. mug — to rob
  24. trunk — of a tree

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