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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. press — to push
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. club — a group
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. wake — a trail
  11. press — a publisher
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. tube — the underground
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for golf
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tube — a container
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. club — for dancing

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