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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 120 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. game — a match
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — the underground
  6. press — to push
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. press — a publisher
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cell — in biology
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bark — to shout
  16. press — newspapers
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. game — wild animals
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. saw — the tool
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fine — a penalty

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