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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. foot — a measure
  8. press — a publisher
  9. last — finally
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fine — high quality
  12. press — newspapers
  13. press — to push
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. last — to go on
  16. rush — hurry
  17. present — there
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — final
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. present — the time now
  24. fan — a supporter

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