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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. ground — a position
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — newspapers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. ground — crushed
  12. rush — hurry
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. press — to push
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — size or range
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. scale — in music

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