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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — moving air
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — to wash
  8. press — to push
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — to protest
  12. shower — rain
  13. fine — all right
  14. can — a tin
  15. object — a thing
  16. press — newspapers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. object — an aim
  24. fine — high quality

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