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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. press — to push
  6. snap — to click
  7. tube — a container
  8. cold — an illness
  9. craft — boats
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. wound — an injury
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. craft — a skill
  17. press — a publisher
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. tube — the underground
  21. fork — in a road
  22. cold — not warm
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. jam — in traffic

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