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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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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  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 — a garden tool
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ground — crushed
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. drill — the tool
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ground — a position
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bear — the animal
  15. clip — for paper
  16. bear — the animal
  17. drill — army training
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — a video
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — the earth
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. sharp — exactly
  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