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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. press — to push
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bore — to drill
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pit — in a race
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. lean — thin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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