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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rock — music
  9. fork — in a road
  10. press — to push
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. press — newspapers
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. hand — help
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — child
  17. press — a publisher
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — the sport
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. kid — to tease
  24. squash — to crush

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