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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · mine · ball · clip · leaves · press · mate · net

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. press — to push
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — newspapers
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mate — a friend
  8. press — a publisher
  9. clip — a video
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mate — a partner
  12. net — for catching
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ball — a great time
  15. clip — for paper
  16. mate — to breed
  17. clip — to cut
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. net — in sport
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ball — a dance

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