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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rule — a law
  4. wind — moving air
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rule — government
  10. drill — the tool
  11. shower — rain
  12. drill — army training
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. swing — in golf
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lie — to recline
  20. swing — music
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — a publisher

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