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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 116 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. press — to push
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — to grow
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fall — to drop
  19. ball — a great time
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fall — the season
  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