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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. drill — army training
  3. dip — to sink
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. craft — a skill
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. press — to push
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fall — to drop
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. craft — boats
  22. press — a publisher
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cold — not warm

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