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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fork — in a road
  6. clip — for paper
  7. ball — a dance
  8. clip — a video
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. race — a contest
  11. clip — to cut
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. object — a thing
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. press — a publisher
  21. object — an aim
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. object — to protest
  24. rush — to hurry

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