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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rock — a stone
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fork — in a road
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — music
  15. spring — of water
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bound — tied together
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — the season
  22. cap — a hat
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. cue — a signal

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