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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. game — wild animals
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. press — newspapers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spring — a coil
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — in a road
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a match
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — a publisher
  23. spring — of water
  24. fan — a supporter

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