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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — a publisher
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — the earth
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — a practice
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. press — to push
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — crushed

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