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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rock — music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — clever
  12. net — in sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. press — to push
  16. march — the month
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. net — for catching
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. roll — a cake
  22. march — music
  23. roll — a list
  24. net — after costs

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