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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. press — a publisher
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. tube — the underground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. press — to push
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. current — happening now
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. current — electric
  24. current — of water

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