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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. tube — a container
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — in sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. net — after costs
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. land — ground
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fall — to drop
  20. press — newspapers
  21. land — a country
  22. press — to push
  23. net — for catching
  24. straw — dry grass

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