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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. staff — employees
  3. press — to push
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. rock — music
  6. hand — help
  7. staff — employees
  8. rock — a stone
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mine — for digging
  24. hand — in cards

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