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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — newspapers
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. press — to push
  9. vault — a safe
  10. press — a publisher
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chip — to eat
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cap — of ice

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