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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  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 — exactly
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. capital — money
  4. tube — a container
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cell — in biology
  9. capital — a city
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. cell — a phone
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. last — to go on
  19. rush — hurry
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. tube — the underground
  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