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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — for sport
  7. field — a subject
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. field — farmland
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — the animal
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. plane — a tool
  16. press — to push
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. press — a publisher
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bat — in an idiom

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