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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rash — hasty
  4. press — to push
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cap — a lid
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — a publisher
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. cap — a hat
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. rash — a series

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