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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ground — a position
  6. rash — a series
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. row — to paddle
  9. content — the amount
  10. press — to push
  11. present — a gift
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — the time now
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. ground — the earth
  19. content — happy
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. present — there
  23. press — a publisher
  24. row — a line

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