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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. press — newspapers
  3. present — there
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — thin
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. field — farmland
  19. press — to push
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fork — in a road
  22. present — a gift
  23. lean — to bend
  24. game — a match

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