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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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. bat — in an idiom
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. key — in music
  4. press — to push
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. bat — the animal
  10. pitch — completely
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. season — in sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — the sport
  17. key — the most important part
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. press — a publisher
  20. season — of the year
  21. press — newspapers
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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