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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — clever
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. march — music
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. chair — a leader
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. press — newspapers
  15. content — happy
  16. march — the month
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. press — a publisher
  23. content — the amount
  24. lash — an eyelash

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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