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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. dip — to sink
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. wound — an injury
  7. press — to push
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — a practice
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — a trace
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — a lid
  21. drill — army training
  22. cold — not warm
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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