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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. press — to push
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wind — moving air
  7. toast — bread
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rest — what's left
  12. spring — the season
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rest — what's left
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rest — a break
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — help
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. press — newspapers

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