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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. capital — money
  5. mug — a face
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. content — the amount
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — to push
  11. board — to get on
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — to rob
  14. press — a publisher
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. content — happy
  17. press — newspapers
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. capital — a city
  23. mug — a cup
  24. board — a flat piece

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