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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rest — what's left
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bank — for money
  9. toast — bread
  10. hand — help
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bank — of a river
  13. press — newspapers
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rest — a break
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bank — for money
  19. press — to push
  20. fork — in a road
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. press — a publisher
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. kid — child

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