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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. can — to be able to
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. press — to push
  18. can — a tin
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — a publisher

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