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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kick — in football
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. press — a publisher
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — a country
  14. press — to push
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wind — moving air
  17. hand — help
  18. land — ground
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wind — moving air
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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