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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. cold — not warm
  7. roll — a cake
  8. cold — an illness
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — in a race
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — a publisher
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. rash — a series

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