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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bank — for money
  5. press — a publisher
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — to push
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. land — a country
  11. bank — of a river
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bank — for money
  16. fork — in a road
  17. ball — a dance
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — ground
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. swing — music
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — to crush
  24. temple — a place of worship

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