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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: rush · content · fork · press · pitcher · sharp · row · date

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. content — happy
  11. row — a line
  12. fork — in a road
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. sharp — clever
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — the amount
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fork — a garden tool

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