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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. cue — for pool
  5. tear — from crying
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. cue — a hint
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bound — certain
  11. tear — from crying
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. race — a contest
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bound — obliged
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — to rip
  23. race — humankind
  24. bound — tied together

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