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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. press — to push
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pit — a hole
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a cup
  16. last — final
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pit — in a race
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — to rob
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. wave — with your hand

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