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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — music
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. press — to push
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. land — to come down
  18. press — a publisher
  19. land — ground
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bound — tied together
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. press — newspapers
  24. land — a country

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