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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — to push
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. press — a publisher
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. mug — to rob
  13. row — a line
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. press — newspapers
  17. file — a document
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. row — to paddle

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