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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. spring — of water
  3. bank — of a river
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mate — to breed
  8. spring — a coil
  9. row — a line
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mate — a partner
  14. spring — the season
  15. bank — for money
  16. sharp — clever
  17. press — newspapers
  18. row — to paddle
  19. content — happy
  20. press — to push
  21. bank — for money
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a trace

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