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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spell — letters
  4. fall — the season
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pop — soda
  8. press — a publisher
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fine — all right
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — in sport
  16. pop — music
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. spell — a short time
  21. fall — to drop
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fork — in a road

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