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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — thin
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. press — newspapers
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fine — high quality
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. press — to push
  24. pit — in a race

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