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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — in biology
  7. press — newspapers
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. swing — in golf
  10. spell — letters
  11. press — a publisher
  12. file — a document
  13. swing — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — in music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. net — in sport
  22. swing — to play on
  23. cell — a phone
  24. file — a tool

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