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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. press — a publisher
  7. face — part of the head
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. press — to push
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cold — not warm
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. cold — an illness
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. snap — to click
  23. squash — the sport
  24. face — to confront

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