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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. press — to push
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — clever
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. spring — of water
  15. row — to paddle
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spring — the season
  18. ground — crushed
  19. row — a line
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — a position
  22. press — newspapers
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. press — a publisher

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