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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. press — to push
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. press — newspapers
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. staff — employees
  9. press — a publisher
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. staff — employees
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. row — a line
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. fork — in a road
  24. capital — a city

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