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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — a publisher
  8. rule — a law
  9. mark — a grade
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. press — to push
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. mark — a trace
  16. fall — the season
  17. season — of the year
  18. rule — government
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — newspapers
  22. season — in sport
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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