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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cold — an illness
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. chip — to eat
  6. rock — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. march — the month
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. march — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. chip — in a computer

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