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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. press — newspapers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. cell — in biology
  14. march — the month
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. file — a line of people
  17. cell — a phone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. march — the month
  21. press — to push
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. file — a document
  24. mouse — the animal

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