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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. lie — to recline
  3. scale — in music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — clever
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — a coil
  8. hand — help
  9. spring — the season
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. spring — of water
  14. press — to push
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. dip — to sink
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. squash — the sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — size or range
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. dip — a sauce

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