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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. press — a publisher
  3. roll — a cake
  4. press — to push
  5. lean — to bend
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. lean — thin
  15. roll — a list
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. press — newspapers

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