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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — to go on
  7. rest — a break
  8. dip — to sink
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. last — final
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. press — newspapers
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bass — low music
  23. press — to push
  24. bass — the fish

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