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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. land — to come down
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. press — a publisher
  5. squash — the sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. lean — thin
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — to bear
  14. lean — to bend
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. fall — to drop
  19. net — after costs
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. fall — the season

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