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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. sharp — clever
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. mate — to breed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rush — hurry
  19. track — a song
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — newspapers
  24. plane — a tool

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