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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. season — of the year
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. cold — not warm
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — government
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. season — in sport
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. press — newspapers
  24. arm — part of the body

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