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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. dip — to sink
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — rain
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. tube — a container
  15. face — to confront
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — to push
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. press — a publisher

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