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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. march — the month
  5. scale — size or range
  6. march — music
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. march — the month
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. press — to push
  16. dip — to sink
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. scale — in music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. scale — for weighing

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