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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bass — the fish
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bass — low music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. game — a match
  16. charge — a price
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. charge — in control
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. press — newspapers
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wind — moving air

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