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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. spell — letters
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — a short time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. object — a thing
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. scale — size or range
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. scale — in music
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rush — hurry
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. spell — magic
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. object — an aim
  22. snap — to click
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rush — a thrill

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