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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. foot — a measure
  3. press — to push
  4. spell — a short time
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — a tin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. can — a tin
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rush — hurry
  16. can — to be able to
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — a publisher
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — letters
  22. press — newspapers
  23. spell — magic
  24. racket — for tennis

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