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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — a song
  9. track — a path
  10. drill — a practice
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. drill — army training
  14. press — to push
  15. bark — to shout
  16. drill — the tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. cabinet — ministers

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