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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. present — there
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — to push
  10. shower — to wash
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. present — a gift
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. shower — rain
  21. present — the time now
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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