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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. rock — music
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. fork — in a road
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. press — newspapers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ground — the earth
  21. press — a publisher
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — a position
  24. chest — a box

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