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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bound — certain
  10. rush — hurry
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. hide — animal skin

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