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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mug — a face
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. spring — the season
  7. tube — the underground
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. press — to push
  11. court — of law
  12. mug — to rob
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — of water
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tube — a container
  22. mug — a cup
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. spring — a coil

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