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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. march — the month
  7. object — to protest
  8. press — to push
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — music
  11. object — a thing
  12. can — a tin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. press — a publisher
  15. tube — the underground
  16. rush — hurry
  17. march — the month
  18. object — an aim
  19. tube — a container
  20. ground — a position
  21. can — a tin
  22. press — newspapers
  23. wind — moving air
  24. ground — the earth

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