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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bulb — for light
  5. hand — in cards
  6. tear — from crying
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bulb — for light
  13. tear — from crying
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — completely
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hand — help
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. press — a publisher

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