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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. spring — of water
  3. lie — to recline
  4. stand — to bear
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. rash — hasty
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. sharp — clever
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — an illness
  18. rash — a series
  19. press — to push
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. sharp — exactly

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