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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. press — a publisher
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. press — newspapers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rest — a break
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. game — a match
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — to push
  24. game — a kind of play

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