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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. sharp — clever
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. press — a publisher
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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