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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 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. mate — a partner
  3. kid — child
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. mate — a friend
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. land — a country
  10. mate — to breed
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lean — thin
  17. land — ground
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — to come down
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fork — to eat with

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