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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. row — to paddle
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — a tin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. file — a document
  10. net — for catching
  11. row — a line
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. present — a gift
  14. press — to push
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. net — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. press — a publisher
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a tool
  21. present — there
  22. net — after costs
  23. present — the time now
  24. can — a tin

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