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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — finally
  13. bat — the animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. last — final
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. press — to push
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. press — a publisher
  24. fan — a supporter

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