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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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 — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cell — a phone
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. press — newspapers
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — for sport
  12. bore — to tire
  13. press — to push
  14. court — of law
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bore — to drill
  22. present — the time now
  23. pit — in a race
  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