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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. press — a publisher
  3. swing — in golf
  4. shower — rain
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. swing — music
  8. kick — in football
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. shower — to wash
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — newspapers
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. press — to push
  18. can — a tin
  19. chair — a leader
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. can — a tin

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