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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 124 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. race — a contest
  4. charge — a price
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. file — a document
  11. race — humankind
  12. press — to push
  13. press — newspapers
  14. charge — in control
  15. net — for catching
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. file — a tool
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. file — a line of people
  20. charge — electricity
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. race — the arms race
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — a publisher

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