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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — in music
  4. court — of law
  5. sharp — clever
  6. key — the most important part
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. branch — a division
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — for sport
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. fork — in a road
  19. court — of a king
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. fork — to eat with

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