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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. staff — employees
  4. press — to push
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. march — the month
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. fine — all right
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. staff — a stick
  13. press — a publisher
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. staff — employees
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. march — the month
  18. last — finally
  19. march — music
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. cold — not warm
  24. dip — a sauce

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