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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. press — newspapers
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. toast — bread
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. sharp — clever
  9. wake — a trail
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. press — to push
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — a publisher
  24. date — on the calendar

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