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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. charge — electricity
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. press — to push
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. charge — a price
  20. saw — the tool
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rash — a series
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rash — hasty

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