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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. press — to push
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — a grade
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal skin

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