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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. press — a publisher
  5. current — electric
  6. can — a tin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. can — to be able to
  9. hand — help
  10. spring — the season
  11. current — happening now
  12. season — in sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. can — a tin
  16. hand — in cards
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — of water
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spring — of water
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. hand — part of the body

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