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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. content — the amount
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. pitch — completely
  14. press — a publisher
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — happy
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — to push

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