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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — a law
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wound — an injury
  7. root — the cause
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. degree — temperature
  10. root — of a word
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pound — a weight
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rule — government
  15. root — of a plant
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fork — in a road
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mate — a partner
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mate — to breed

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