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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fall — to drop
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cue — a hint
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. press — to push
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fall — the season
  20. press — a publisher
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cue — for pool
  24. squash — to crush

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