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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. chair — a leader
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. press — newspapers
  8. toast — bread
  9. rash — a series
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — hasty
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. track — a song
  20. press — a publisher
  21. press — to push
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bat — the animal
  24. track — a path

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