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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. clip — a video
  3. hand — help
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — newspapers
  6. hand — in cards
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. press — a publisher
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — from crying
  16. clip — to cut
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. ground — the earth
  20. clip — for paper
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tear — from crying
  23. ground — crushed
  24. press — to push

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