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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. court — of a king
  3. land — ground
  4. fork — in a road
  5. club — for golf
  6. degree — temperature
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — in biology
  9. court — for sport
  10. land — a country
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bore — to tire
  13. current — electric
  14. degree — from a university
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cell — a phone
  17. current — happening now
  18. land — to come down
  19. bore — to drill
  20. club — a group
  21. court — of law
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. current — of water
  24. club — for dancing

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