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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ball — a dance
  6. firm — a company
  7. root — of a word
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. press — to push
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lie — to recline
  15. firm — steady
  16. firm — decided
  17. ball — a great time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. wind — to turn a key

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