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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. spring — the season
  3. file — a line of people
  4. kid — to tease
  5. press — a publisher
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. file — a tool
  8. pop — to visit
  9. press — newspapers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pop — music
  13. spring — a coil
  14. pop — soda
  15. drill — army training
  16. season — of the year
  17. spring — of water
  18. file — a document
  19. sharp — clever
  20. press — to push
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. kid — child
  23. season — in sport
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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