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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — newspapers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. land — ground
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — a country
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. saw — the tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. firm — a company
  18. content — happy
  19. firm — decided
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. content — the amount
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. saw — the tool

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