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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rest — what's left
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. kid — to tease
  8. swing — to play on
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — a break
  11. scale — size or range
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — to push
  14. club — for golf
  15. swing — in golf
  16. club — a group
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — a publisher
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — music
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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