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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — clever
  4. swing — music
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. last — to go on
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spell — magic
  13. last — final
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. track — a song
  20. press — to push
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — an aircraft

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