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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pop — to visit
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — soda
  13. tear — from crying
  14. hand — help
  15. net — after costs
  16. spell — magic
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pop — music
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. tear — from crying
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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