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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — to push
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. press — a publisher
  7. race — a contest
  8. stand — to bear
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. race — humankind
  14. tear — from crying
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — from crying
  17. race — the arms race
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cabinet — ministers

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