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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. stock — goods
  3. bass — the fish
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stock — shares
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. press — to push
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bore — to tire
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. game — wild animals
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to click
  18. sharp — clever
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — low music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — a match
  24. press — newspapers

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