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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · charge · lie · capital · press · cold

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. press — to push
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — not warm
  8. capital — money
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lie — to recline
  11. capital — a city
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cold — an illness
  14. charge — a price
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. charge — in control
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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