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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. rock — a stone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. press — to push
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. prune — to trim
  22. cap — a lid
  23. squash — the sport
  24. sharp — exactly

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