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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — to push
  4. can — to be able to
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. field — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — a group
  15. field — a subject
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. club — for dancing
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. field — farmland
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. stand — to bear

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