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

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. clip — for paper
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. game — a match
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bear — the animal
  11. land — ground
  12. clip — a video
  13. press — a publisher
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bear — the animal
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. press — to push
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — a country

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