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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cold — an illness
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. club — for golf
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. club — for dancing
  14. press — newspapers
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. press — to push
  24. wax — for sculpting

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