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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. press — a publisher
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. fall — the season
  5. content — happy
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — for betting
  15. content — the amount
  16. clip — a video
  17. chip — to eat
  18. clip — to cut
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. press — to push
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. clip — for paper
  23. press — newspapers
  24. content — videos and posts

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