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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. press — a publisher
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — happening now
  10. rest — a break
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. press — to push
  15. rush — hurry
  16. current — electric
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wound — an injury
  22. current — of water
  23. press — newspapers
  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