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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mate — to breed
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. press — newspapers
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. press — to push
  21. bat — the animal
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mate — a partner
  24. sharp — with an edge

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