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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. last — to go on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — magic
  9. kid — child
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. staff — a stick
  12. wound — an injury
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. press — to push
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. last — final
  20. press — a publisher
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. spell — letters
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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