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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. press — newspapers
  5. shower — rain
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. shower — to wash
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ground — a position
  12. cold — not warm
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — to push
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. ground — the earth
  18. press — a publisher
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — the animal
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. nail — for a hammer

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