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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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 — with an edge
  2. sharp — clever
  3. firm — steady
  4. object — a thing
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. press — to push
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. firm — a company
  16. firm — decided
  17. snap — to click
  18. foot — a measure
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. press — a publisher
  21. track — a path
  22. game — a match
  23. foot — part of the body
  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