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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. cold — an illness
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — low music
  16. press — to push
  17. fork — in a road
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. track — a path
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — a song

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