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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wind — moving air
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — to push
  8. bound — obliged
  9. cold — an illness
  10. file — a document
  11. mug — a face
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cold — not warm
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a tool
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — tied together
  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