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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — the sport
  7. fork — in a road
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mate — a friend
  12. track — a path
  13. press — to push
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. squash — to crush
  16. row — a line
  17. sharp — clever
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a partner
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bound — obliged
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. row — to paddle
  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