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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. can — to be able to
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — a publisher
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. cold — an illness
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. can — a tin
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. cold — not warm
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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