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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — to push
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. drill — the tool
  5. toast — bread
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — a practice
  9. row — a line
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. kid — to tease
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — army training
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. stand — to bear
  20. press — a publisher
  21. row — to paddle
  22. kid — child
  23. march — music
  24. fork — to eat with

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