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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. season — of the year
  6. saw — the tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — low music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — to be able to
  18. press — newspapers
  19. saw — the tool
  20. kid — child
  21. march — music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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