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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. lie — to recline
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tube — a container
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — the underground
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rash — hasty
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. tube — in a tire

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