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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 120 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 my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — a publisher
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. press — to push
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. track — to keep track
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fall — the season
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. deal — to handle
  19. craft — a skill
  20. track — a path
  21. press — newspapers
  22. craft — boats
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fork — to eat with

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