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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · sharp · pitcher · press · fan · bay · mine · snap

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. sharp — clever
  4. rest — a break
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mine — for digging
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. press — to push
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. snap — to click
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mine — belonging to me

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