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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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468
Word bank
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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — not warm
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cold — an illness
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — soda
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pop — music
  21. press — to push
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. game — a match

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