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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — a match
  13. rock — music
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. fork — in a road
  17. press — to push
  18. prune — to trim
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. prune — to trim

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