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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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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: kid · fork · press · spell · suit · fall · mate · sharp

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fall — the season
  3. press — a publisher
  4. kid — child
  5. spell — letters
  6. press — to push
  7. fork — in a road
  8. mate — a partner
  9. suit — to fit
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fall — to drop
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. suit — clothes
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spell — magic
  17. press — newspapers
  18. kid — to tease
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — to drop

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