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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kick — in football
  16. press — to push
  17. mark — a trace
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. plane — a tool

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