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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 124 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — a series
  6. wake — a trail
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — in control
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — hasty
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. sharp — clever
  18. charge — electricity
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. charge — a price
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. fan — a supporter

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