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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. spell — magic
  5. press — a publisher
  6. fine — all right
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. net — in sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — the tool
  12. press — to push
  13. net — after costs
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. net — for catching
  17. press — newspapers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — rain
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. spell — letters
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — the tool
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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