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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. cold — not warm
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. press — a publisher
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. press — to push
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. can — a tin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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