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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. sharp — clever
  3. object — a thing
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. stand — to bear
  6. object — to protest
  7. snap — to click
  8. press — to push
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. press — newspapers
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — a partner
  18. object — an aim
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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