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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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468
Word bank
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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 meat?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pound — a weight
  5. press — to push
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — magic
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cue — a signal
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. spell — letters
  16. season — in sport
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint

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