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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. spell — a short time
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. pound — a weight
  7. tear — from crying
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tear — to rip
  13. plane — a tool
  14. press — to push
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — letters
  18. tear — from crying
  19. season — of the year
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — an amount
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pound — for dogs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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