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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. march — music
  5. press — a publisher
  6. firm — decided
  7. firm — a company
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a line
  10. present — the time now
  11. march — the month
  12. firm — steady
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wound — an injury
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. press — newspapers
  21. row — to paddle
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. wound — an injury

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