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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rule — a law
  7. cold — not warm
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. firm — decided
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — in a road
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. firm — a company
  20. cold — an illness
  21. vault — a safe
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. firm — steady
  24. rule — government

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