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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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Word bank
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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 meat?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. suit — in cards
  6. press — a publisher
  7. foot — a measure
  8. season — of the year
  9. file — a line of people
  10. season — in sport
  11. chest — a box
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. suit — clothes
  16. chest — of your body
  17. chest — of your body
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. file — a document
  20. suit — to fit
  21. file — a tool
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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