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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. kid — to tease
  4. drill — a practice
  5. kid — child
  6. rock — music
  7. club — for golf
  8. rock — a stone
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. cold — not warm
  13. club — a group
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bank — for money
  16. press — to push
  17. bank — of a river
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bank — for money
  23. club — for dancing
  24. wake — a trail

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