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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. press — to push
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. fork — in a road
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. branch — a division
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. roll — a cake
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. roll — a list
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. last — final

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