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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. rest — a break
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. club — a group
  14. pop — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — soda
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lean — to bend
  21. press — to push
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lean — thin

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