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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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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — humankind
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bear — the animal
  13. press — a publisher
  14. face — to point toward
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fork — in a road
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. squash — to crush
  21. face — to confront
  22. press — to push
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — newspapers

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