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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pop — music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — to visit
  6. snap — to click
  7. fine — high quality
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. present — a gift
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. press — newspapers
  15. present — there
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fine — all right
  18. pop — soda
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fork — in a road
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. press — to push
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. present — the time now

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