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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 124 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. wind — moving air
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. press — to push
  10. sharp — clever
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. shower — to wash
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stem — to come from
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. press — newspapers

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