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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chip — to eat
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — clever
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. spring — of water
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spring — a coil
  14. press — a publisher
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. march — the month
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. spring — the season
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. march — music
  22. chip — for betting
  23. march — the month
  24. bat — for baseball

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