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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 116 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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. staff — employees
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. press — to push
  9. sharp — clever
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rush — hurry
  19. staff — employees
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. squash — to crush

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