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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 120 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — to push
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — to bend
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. swing — music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rule — a law
  14. swing — in golf
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — to drop
  21. lean — thin
  22. fall — the season
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rule — government

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