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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. clip — to cut
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. press — a publisher
  6. club — for dancing
  7. fork — in a road
  8. clip — for paper
  9. press — to push
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. clip — a video
  12. deal — to handle
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. club — for golf
  15. stock — shares
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — a stone
  19. press — newspapers
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. club — a group
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rock — music

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