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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. sharp — clever
  5. root — of a word
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kick — in football
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. press — a publisher
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitch — completely
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kick — with a leg

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