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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. press — to push
  4. ground — crushed
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. press — newspapers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fall — to drop
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — letters
  17. ground — the earth
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ground — a position
  22. fall — the season
  23. spell — a short time
  24. kid — child

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