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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. spell — magic
  5. press — to push
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. spell — a short time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. spell — letters
  17. mate — to breed
  18. sharp — clever
  19. ground — a position
  20. mate — a partner
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — the earth
  23. toast — bread
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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