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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. last — to go on
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chest — a box
  8. march — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. march — the month
  15. last — finally
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — final
  18. wind — moving air
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — a publisher
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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