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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.

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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bear — the animal
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. net — after costs
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. press — to push
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — in sport
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. net — for catching
  23. press — a publisher
  24. lie — to recline

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