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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rush — hurry
  8. last — finally
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wind — moving air
  11. last — final
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. last — to go on
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wind — to turn a key

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