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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. fine — all right
  4. clip — a video
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rock — music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rock — a stone
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pound — a weight
  19. foot — a measure
  20. race — a contest
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chair — a leader
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — the arms race

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