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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. kick — in football
  6. ground — the earth
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hand — in cards
  9. press — a publisher
  10. object — to protest
  11. bound — certain
  12. object — an aim
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — a thing
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. press — to push
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bound — tied together
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bound — obliged

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