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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. last — finally
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. last — final
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — to be able to
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. last — to go on
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. can — a tin
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. can — a tin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wake — a trail
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. press — newspapers

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