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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. press — a publisher
  4. object — a thing
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — to protest
  8. pitch — completely
  9. press — newspapers
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. sharp — clever
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spell — a short time
  17. press — to push
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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