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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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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: racket · fork · wake · press · mouse · cell · clip · sharp

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cell — a phone
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. clip — to cut
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. press — to push
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — in biology
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. clip — a video
  22. press — newspapers
  23. clip — for paper
  24. cell — in a prison

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