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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. root — of a word
  3. press — a publisher
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. capital — a city
  7. track — a song
  8. track — to keep track
  9. sharp — clever
  10. tube — the underground
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — to push
  14. prune — to trim
  15. root — the cause
  16. track — a path
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — of a plant
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. swing — in golf
  23. prune — to trim
  24. tube — a container

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