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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — the earth
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. cap — a hat
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kid — to tease
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. ground — a position
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. ground — crushed
  22. plane — a tool
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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