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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. can — to be able to
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — a stone
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rule — a law
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rule — government
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. fork — in a road

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