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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bat — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a trace
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fine — high quality
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. fine — all right
  12. press — to push
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mark — a grade
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. wind — moving air
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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