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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. tube — a container
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — in cards
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. branch — a division
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wake — a trail
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tube — the underground
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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