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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rule — government
  3. spring — a coil
  4. press — a publisher
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. spring — the season
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lean — thin
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. spring — of water
  16. capital — a city
  17. lean — to bend
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rule — a law
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — money

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