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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. cell — in biology
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — to visit
  19. press — to push
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wind — to turn a key

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