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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. object — to protest
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. club — for dancing
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. club — for golf
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. object — a thing
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. fall — the season
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. hand — help
  18. object — an aim
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fall — to drop
  21. hand — in cards
  22. club — a group
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — part of the body

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