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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. pass — a permit
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — ground
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fork — in a road
  16. land — to come down
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. march — music
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. kid — to tease
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. land — a country
  24. press — to push

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