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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — a break
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. kick — in football
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pop — soda
  8. march — music
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rest — what's left
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. cold — not warm
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pop — to visit
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pop — music
  23. rest — what's left
  24. press — to push

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