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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. firm — a company
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — steady
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fall — to drop
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. firm — decided
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — newspapers
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fall — the season
  21. rash — hasty
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — in geometry

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