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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. tube — the underground
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — to push
  8. rash — a series
  9. present — there
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. snap — to click
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mine — for digging
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. press — a publisher
  21. tube — a container
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. present — the time now

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