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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: wax · game · present · date · net · press · sharp · last

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. last — final
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. present — a gift
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. sharp — clever
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — newspapers
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. present — there
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. press — a publisher
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — to grow
  16. date — the fruit
  17. press — to push
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. last — to go on
  21. game — a match
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. last — finally
  24. present — the time now

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