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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 124 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a grade
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. race — humankind
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fork — in a road
  10. file — a line of people
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a tool
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. race — a contest
  15. press — newspapers
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — a trace
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fine — all right
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fine — high quality
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. file — a document

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