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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. clip — to cut
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — a publisher
  14. content — the amount
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — for paper
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — happy
  21. clip — a video
  22. press — to push
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. leaves — lets stay

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