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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. roll — a cake
  3. press — newspapers
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. roll — a list
  6. cue — for pool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. field — for sport
  10. object — to protest
  11. press — a publisher
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. press — to push
  16. cue — a signal
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. mug — a face
  20. object — a thing
  21. mug — to rob
  22. object — an aim
  23. wake — a trail
  24. roll — on a roll

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