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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. sharp — clever
  3. press — to push
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. charge — a price
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. press — newspapers
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. press — a publisher
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. cold — an illness
  17. charge — electricity
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. charge — in control
  20. cold — not warm
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. toast — bread
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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