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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. spell — letters
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. press — to push
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chest — a box
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mug — to rob
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — newspapers
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mug — a face
  23. chest — of your body
  24. mug — a cup

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