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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. press — to push
  4. suit — to fit
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. cold — not warm
  11. court — for sport
  12. suit — clothes
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. season — of the year
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cold — an illness
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — moving air

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