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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — army training
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. face — part of the head
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wake — a trail
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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