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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fall — to drop
  5. object — a thing
  6. content — the amount
  7. object — to protest
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cue — a hint
  10. kid — child
  11. rock — music
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rock — a stone
  14. object — an aim
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — a signal
  18. fall — the season
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. press — newspapers
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cold — not warm
  23. content — happy
  24. rock — to move gently

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