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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. fork — in a road
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — crushed
  5. present — there
  6. rest — a break
  7. cap — a hat
  8. wind — moving air
  9. march — the month
  10. press — newspapers
  11. present — the time now
  12. press — a publisher
  13. march — music
  14. rest — what's left
  15. present — a gift
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rest — what's left
  24. march — the month

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