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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. cold — an illness
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. shower — rain
  5. clip — a video
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — to push
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. date — the fruit
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. press — a publisher
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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