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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. last — to go on
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — an aim
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. tear — from crying
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. lean — to bend
  10. object — to protest
  11. last — finally
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. foot — a measure
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. last — final
  16. tear — from crying
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. object — a thing
  20. lean — thin
  21. press — newspapers
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. tear — to rip
  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