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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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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: press · dip · shower · sharp · cell · fork · mark · key

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. sharp — with an edge
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to sink
  5. key — for a lock
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — in biology
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. press — a publisher
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. key — in music
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mark — a grade
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. key — the most important part
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — to wash
  22. fork — to eat with
  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