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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — a face
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bass — the fish
  13. press — a publisher
  14. mug — to rob
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bass — low music
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bulb — for light
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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