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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 120 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — in a road
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — to push
  9. squash — the sport
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — a partner
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mate — to breed
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. track — a song
  17. press — newspapers
  18. track — a path
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. squash — to crush

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