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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chip — for betting
  9. plane — a tool
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a city
  16. chip — to eat
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. drill — army training
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. fork — in a road
  22. press — newspapers
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. drill — a practice

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