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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bound — obliged
  6. bound — certain
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. press — to push
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. press — a publisher
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fork — in a road
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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