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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rock — a stone
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rock — music
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — to drop
  15. press — to push
  16. drill — army training
  17. press — a publisher
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. scale — size or range
  24. press — newspapers

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