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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. stock — shares
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wound — an injury
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rock — a stone
  17. swing — to play on
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. stock — goods
  20. press — to push
  21. rock — music
  22. swing — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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