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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spell — magic
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bound — certain
  5. spell — letters
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rush — hurry
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bound — obliged
  13. tube — the underground
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. deal — to handle
  18. bound — tied together
  19. race — humankind
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. tube — a container
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — a short time

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