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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 124 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. suit — to fit
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — to push
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — a division
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. suit — clothes
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. ball — a great time
  14. suit — in cards
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rock — a stone
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — completely
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. saw — the tool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. press — newspapers

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