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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 120 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. sharp — clever
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. press — a publisher
  14. plane — a tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. capital — a city
  20. squash — to crush
  21. capital — money
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — to push
  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