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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. press — to push
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. stem — to come from
  8. bore — to drill
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. file — a tool
  14. court — of a king
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. bore — to tire
  22. file — a document
  23. squash — to crush
  24. press — a publisher

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