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

Word bank: pass · wind · fall · toast · ruler · hand · drill · press

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. fall — the season
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — in cards
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. hand — help
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. drill — the tool
  16. toast — bread
  17. drill — a practice
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. press — to push
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — newspapers
  24. wind — moving air

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