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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 120 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: bass · mine · press · cue · rest · stick · fork · mate

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bass — the fish
  3. cue — a hint
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — for digging
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — in a road
  11. mate — a partner
  12. cue — a signal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bass — low music
  24. rest — a break

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