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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. cue — for pool
  3. spell — letters
  4. cue — a signal
  5. can — to be able to
  6. fork — in a road
  7. can — a tin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. can — a tin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fall — the season
  14. cue — a hint
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — from a university
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. present — there
  21. swing — music
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. swing — in golf

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