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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. scale — size or range
  3. sharp — clever
  4. lean — thin
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. scale — in music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. press — a publisher
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. chip — to eat
  14. face — to confront
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. press — to push
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rush — hurry
  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