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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pop — music
  3. press — to push
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — in a road
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. pop — to visit
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. march — the month
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pop — soda
  14. can — a tin
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. track — a song
  19. press — newspapers
  20. craft — boats
  21. clip — a video
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. clip — to cut

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