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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. kid — child
  3. fork — in a road
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. saw — the tool
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. land — a country
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. press — to push
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — to come down

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