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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. press — newspapers
  5. object — to protest
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — rain
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. field — for sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — to wash
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. object — an aim
  19. spell — magic
  20. press — to push
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. object — a thing

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