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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. row — a line
  10. press — a publisher
  11. snap — to click
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — in football
  15. fork — in a road
  16. press — newspapers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. press — to push
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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