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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. pop — music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. sharp — clever
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — letters
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pop — soda
  20. saw — the tool
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. fork — in a road
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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