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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. press — a publisher
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fork — in a road
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. mine — for digging
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fine — high quality
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fine — all right
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. press — to push
  23. rush — a thrill
  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