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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. current — happening now
  11. current — of water
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. current — electric
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — to recline
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. press — a publisher
  22. staff — employees
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ruler — for measuring

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