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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. row — a line
  4. face — part of the head
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. press — to push
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. row — to paddle
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. drill — army training
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. hand — help
  24. drill — a practice

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