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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cold — not warm
  3. object — a thing
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rush — hurry
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — to protest
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — a thrill

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