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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rush — hurry
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — for paper
  9. field — for sport
  10. press — newspapers
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. field — a subject
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. field — farmland
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — clever
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. rash — hasty
  24. press — to push

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