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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · mate · race · content · press · rush · mark · fork

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. race — humankind
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. rush — hurry
  16. content — happy
  17. press — to push
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. race — a contest
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fork — in a road
  23. content — the amount
  24. race — the arms race

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