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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mug — to rob
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mug — a face
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — the time now
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. present — there
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. present — a gift
  18. mug — a cup
  19. game — a match
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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