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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. press — to push
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pit — a hole
  11. press — newspapers
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rock — music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — a publisher
  24. rock — a stone

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