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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cap — a lid
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. deal — to handle
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. press — to push
  14. last — final
  15. pitch — completely
  16. press — newspapers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. cap — a hat
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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