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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — a grade
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. press — newspapers
  11. clip — a video
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — to push
  14. rush — hurry
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. can — to be able to
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. can — a tin

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