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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. cue — for pool
  4. degree — temperature
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — an amount
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. land — ground
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. land — to come down
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cue — a signal
  15. tube — a container
  16. court — of law
  17. land — a country
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. degree — from a university
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cue — a hint
  24. fork — a garden tool

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