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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tube — the underground
  4. rash — a series
  5. tube — a container
  6. press — a publisher
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. press — to push
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. land — a country
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. march — music
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — hasty
  21. land — ground
  22. sharp — clever
  23. foot — a measure
  24. march — the month

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