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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kid — child
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. spell — letters
  21. bound — obliged
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — all right

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