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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. plane — a tool
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cold — not warm
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pitch — completely
  12. press — a publisher
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bore — to drill
  21. press — to push
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wake — a trail

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