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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. staff — a stick
  8. hand — help
  9. toast — bread
  10. press — newspapers
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. staff — employees
  22. staff — employees
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. fork — in a road

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