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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — a series
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pit — a hole
  11. date — the fruit
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. press — to push
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. press — newspapers
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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