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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to click
  3. charge — electricity
  4. craft — boats
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. press — a publisher
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. foot — a measure
  9. firm — a company
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — for digging
  14. press — newspapers
  15. firm — decided
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — a skill
  18. firm — steady
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. mine — belonging to me

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