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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — hurry
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. scale — in music
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. object — a thing
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cue — for pool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. fork — in a road
  20. object — to protest
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. object — an aim
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rash — a series

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