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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. That must've been 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. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — an illness
  3. press — to push
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. lie — to recline
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. press — a publisher
  12. deal — to handle
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. file — a document
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a tool
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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