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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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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: season · fork · wind · arm · deal · press · jam · content

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. deal — to handle
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. press — a publisher
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wind — moving air
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. content — the amount
  12. press — newspapers
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. season — in sport
  18. content — happy
  19. season — of the year
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — to push
  24. deal — an agreement

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