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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. object — to protest
  5. stand — to bear
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — an aim
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. press — to push
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. object — a thing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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