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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. squash — to crush
  5. lie — to recline
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rush — hurry
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. degree — an amount
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. press — to push
  16. degree — from a university
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. degree — temperature
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cold — not warm
  24. squash — the sport

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