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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. tear — from crying
  5. swing — in golf
  6. cell — a phone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. swing — to play on
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. press — to push
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. tear — to rip
  16. cell — in biology
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. swing — music
  22. plane — a tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cue — a signal

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