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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wind — moving air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cold — an illness
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. press — to push
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — of the year
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cue — for pool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. season — in sport
  18. cold — not warm
  19. cue — a hint
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — to recline
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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