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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to click
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — a country
  7. wind — moving air
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. field — for sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. rash — hasty
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. press — newspapers
  17. field — farmland
  18. land — to come down
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. press — to push
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. field — a subject

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