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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 116 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wound — an injury
  5. scale — in music
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. press — to push
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. scale — size or range
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. current — of water
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mark — a grade
  16. press — a publisher
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. press — newspapers
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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