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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — army training
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. press — a publisher
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ball — a dance
  12. press — to push
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wound — an injury
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. root — of a word
  18. press — newspapers
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — the cause
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. sharp — with an edge

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