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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. track — a path
  4. sharp — clever
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — in golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. rash — hasty
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. swing — to play on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. swing — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. press — newspapers
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. track — a song
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. rash — a series

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