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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. drill — army training
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. press — newspapers
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — music
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. drill — the tool
  10. press — to push
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. press — a publisher
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. snap — to click
  24. nail — on a finger

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