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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. press — newspapers
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. band — a music group
  12. press — a publisher
  13. hand — help
  14. pit — in a race
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. land — to come down
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. hand — in cards
  23. press — to push
  24. rush — a thrill

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