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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 116 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. season — of the year
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. net — after costs
  9. sharp — clever
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — to breed
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. firm — a company
  15. press — to push
  16. firm — steady
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bark — to shout
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. firm — decided

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