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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. spell — magic
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. press — to push
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. current — happening now
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. date — the fruit
  15. current — of water
  16. snap — to click
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — to trim
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. press — newspapers
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. press — a publisher
  24. sharp — clever

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