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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — a path
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. tear — from crying
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fall — to drop
  8. spring — of water
  9. track — a song
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. deal — to handle
  12. press — newspapers
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — a break
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. press — a publisher
  20. tear — to rip
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fall — the season
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. press — to push

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