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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. cue — a hint
  5. present — a gift
  6. press — a publisher
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. last — to go on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. last — final
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cue — for pool
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. present — there
  22. present — the time now
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. last — finally

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