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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 124 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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468
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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — a container
  6. degree — an amount
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. degree — from a university
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fork — in a road
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pound — a weight
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — the underground

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