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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fine — all right
  3. object — a thing
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fine — high quality
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. object — an aim
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. snap — to click
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. object — to protest
  23. bass — low music
  24. straw — dry grass

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