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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  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. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. game — wild animals
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mark — a grade
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mark — a trace
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. field — a subject
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. field — for sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — farmland
  22. game — a match
  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