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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · press · mug · prune · march · race · fork · sharp

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — a face
  3. march — the month
  4. press — newspapers
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. march — the month
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — a cup
  9. rash — a series
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. press — a publisher
  13. mug — to rob
  14. prune — to trim
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. race — humankind
  24. march — music

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