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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · stick · hide · file · lie · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. file — a line of people
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — a publisher
  16. file — a document
  17. press — to push
  18. lie — an untruth

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