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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 120 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. rush — hurry
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. press — a publisher
  7. staff — employees
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — to push
  11. staff — employees
  12. deal — to handle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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