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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — a thing
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cap — of ice
  12. track — a song
  13. object — to protest
  14. cap — a lid
  15. object — an aim
  16. track — a path
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. press — to push
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. press — a publisher
  22. track — to keep track
  23. press — newspapers
  24. hide — to keep secret

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