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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 116 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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bass — low music
  4. rest — what's left
  5. press — to push
  6. mark — a trace
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fall — to drop
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. row — to paddle
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fall — to drop
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. fall — the season
  18. rest — what's left
  19. press — newspapers
  20. row — a line
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. mark — a grade
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. lean — thin

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