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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. press — to push
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. press — newspapers
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. fork — in a road
  9. clip — for paper
  10. tear — to rip
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — in sport
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pass — a permit
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. clip — a video
  18. press — a publisher
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. can — to be able to
  22. clip — to cut
  23. can — a tin
  24. net — for catching

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