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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — for paper
  5. vault — a safe
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chip — for betting
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. clip — to cut
  11. rock — a stone
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. fork — in a road
  14. chip — to eat
  15. degree — temperature
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. rock — music
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. nail — for a hammer

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