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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 124 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. wind — moving air
  6. squash — to crush
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cold — not warm
  14. track — a song
  15. squash — the sport
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bound — certain
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bound — tied together
  24. track — a path

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