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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · pass · cold · press · trunk · pitcher · hide · firm

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. cold — an illness
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — to push
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. cold — not warm
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — a publisher
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. drill — army training
  13. pass — a permit
  14. firm — steady
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. firm — a company
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cold — the Cold War

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