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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — a publisher
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. deal — to handle
  9. press — to push
  10. stand — to bear
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chest — a box
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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