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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — the season
  5. wind — moving air
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. press — newspapers
  9. root — the cause
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — of a word
  12. chip — to eat
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — for betting
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bass — low music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. dip — to sink
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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