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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. last — final
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. sharp — clever
  8. last — finally
  9. press — to push
  10. mug — to rob
  11. press — a publisher
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — ground
  16. clip — for paper
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. clip — to cut
  19. last — to go on
  20. land — to come down
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. land — a country
  24. deal — to handle

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