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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cue — a hint
  3. staff — employees
  4. cue — for pool
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ball — a dance
  8. tear — from crying
  9. track — a path
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — to drill
  14. staff — employees
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bore — to tire
  17. degree — from a university
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. track — a song
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cue — a signal
  24. degree — an amount

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