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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. chip — to eat
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. fork — in a road
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — farmland
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. press — to push
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fork — to eat with

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