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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: pit · saw · fine · cold · cabinet · wound · press · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. fine — high quality
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. fine — all right
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. toast — bread
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. pit — a hole
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — an illness
  14. wound — an injury
  15. press — to push
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. saw — the tool
  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