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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cold — not warm
  4. press — newspapers
  5. race — a contest
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. race — the arms race
  11. kick — in football
  12. bank — of a river
  13. rule — a law
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. wind — moving air
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — government
  23. bank — for money
  24. prune — to trim

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