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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fork — in a road
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. track — a path
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. press — a publisher
  11. track — to keep track
  12. hand — help
  13. press — to push
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. craft — boats
  17. pit — in a race
  18. press — newspapers
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — in cards
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pit — a hole

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