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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — final
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wake — a trail
  6. last — finally
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wind — moving air
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cap — a hat
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — to push

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