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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. net — in sport
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. net — for catching
  10. suit — to fit
  11. net — after costs
  12. rule — government
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — a law
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. race — humankind
  20. bound — obliged
  21. hand — in cards
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bound — certain

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