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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 120 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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. charge — a price
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. prune — to trim
  7. charge — electricity
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. charge — in control
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wake — a trail
  17. press — a publisher
  18. prune — to trim
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. fine — high quality
  24. tear — from crying

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