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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · mate · chest · rule · sharp · press · last · swing

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. last — to go on
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. perch — the fish
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chest — a box
  7. last — final
  8. swing — to play on
  9. last — finally
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — clever
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mate — a partner
  16. press — to push
  17. mate — a friend
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — a publisher

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