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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rash — hasty
  3. last — finally
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bear — the animal
  7. ground — a position
  8. rash — a series
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — final
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fork — in a road
  13. object — to protest
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. last — to go on
  20. ground — the earth
  21. object — a thing
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — crushed

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