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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. press — to push
  3. wake — a trail
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. shower — to wash
  7. press — a publisher
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. lean — to bend
  10. sharp — clever
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — rain
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lean — thin
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

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