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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — hurry
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. court — of law
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. cue — for pool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. craft — boats
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cue — a signal
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. cue — a hint
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. press — to push

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