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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. row — to paddle
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wind — moving air
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rest — a break
  9. cold — an illness
  10. row — a line
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. club — a group
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. press — a publisher
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — to push

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