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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. field — for sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. field — a subject
  14. face — to point toward
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — in cards
  17. suit — in cards
  18. face — to confront
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. clip — a video
  23. press — to push
  24. press — a publisher

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