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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cap — a hat
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. press — newspapers
  10. suit — to fit
  11. press — to push
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wind — moving air
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wind — moving air
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kick — in football

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