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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.

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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fine — high quality
  6. press — a publisher
  7. squash — to crush
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. fine — all right
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fan — a supporter

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