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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. row — to paddle
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. press — to push
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bank — for money
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bank — for money
  21. press — a publisher
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fan — to cool the air

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