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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bank — of a river
  5. net — for catching
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wound — an injury
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bank — for money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. chip — to eat
  15. press — to push
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. bank — for money
  18. net — after costs
  19. wound — an injury
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — for betting
  22. net — in sport
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. press — newspapers

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