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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. spell — letters
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. shower — to wash
  13. stand — to bear
  14. press — newspapers
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. spell — a short time
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. spell — magic

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