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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. present — the time now
  3. press — to push
  4. march — music
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — the tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. march — the month
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. wind — moving air
  12. drill — army training
  13. present — there
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. press — a publisher
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. drill — a practice
  20. present — a gift
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. march — the month
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mine — for digging

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