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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fall — to drop
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. chest — a box
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — to push
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fall — the season
  18. bass — the fish
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chest — of your body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. chest — of your body
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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