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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. swing — music
  6. ground — a position
  7. tear — to rip
  8. press — to push
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. tear — from crying
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. press — a publisher
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. tear — from crying
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. swing — in golf
  21. ground — the earth
  22. swing — to play on
  23. roll — a list
  24. press — newspapers

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