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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 124 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rock — music
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — boats
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bore — to drill
  14. sharp — clever
  15. rock — a stone
  16. craft — a skill
  17. staff — employees
  18. hand — help
  19. season — of the year
  20. press — newspapers
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. hand — in cards
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. staff — a stick

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