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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 120 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pass — a permit
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fork — in a road
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — music
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cold — not warm
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pop — soda
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cold — an illness

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