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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. press — a publisher
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. current — electric
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. press — to push
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. capital — money
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — of water
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. mouse — the animal

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