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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. clip — to cut
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cue — for pool
  7. fine — all right
  8. bass — low music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. press — newspapers
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. clip — a video
  15. press — a publisher
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cue — a hint
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — for paper
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — on a finger

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