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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cue — a signal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cue — a hint
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. object — a thing
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — to drill
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. row — a line
  21. object — an aim
  22. rash — a series
  23. row — to paddle
  24. swing — to play on

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