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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. kid — to tease
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. can — to be able to
  9. can — a tin
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bound — obliged
  12. press — to push
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. can — a tin
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. fork — in a road
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — certain
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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