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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. press — to push
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. press — newspapers
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. hand — help
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — a gift
  17. shower — to wash
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. present — the time now
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hand — in cards
  23. present — there
  24. press — a publisher

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