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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — newspapers
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. clip — to cut
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. clip — for paper
  17. sharp — clever
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. dip — to sink
  20. clip — a video
  21. march — the month
  22. wake — a trail
  23. press — a publisher
  24. march — music

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