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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. sharp — clever
  3. press — newspapers
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. march — the month
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. press — to push
  11. squash — the sport
  12. press — a publisher
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. deal — to handle
  15. march — music
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rock — music
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wake — a trail
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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