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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. swing — in golf
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. press — a publisher
  10. swing — to play on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. content — happy
  16. squash — to crush
  17. swing — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. press — to push
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. land — ground
  24. fork — in a road

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