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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pop — soda
  6. press — a publisher
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a ring
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fine — high quality
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pop — music
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. press — to push
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — exactly

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