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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. press — to push
  7. pitch — completely
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. mate — to breed
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cell — in biology
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mate — a partner

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