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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. fall — to drop
  4. dip — to sink
  5. press — a publisher
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. capital — a city
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. press — newspapers
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pop — soda
  13. press — to push
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — the season
  19. pop — music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. capital — money
  24. fan — a supporter

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