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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. degree — an amount
  5. cell — in biology
  6. rule — a law
  7. degree — temperature
  8. kid — child
  9. degree — from a university
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. charge — in control
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. charge — a price
  19. fork — in a road
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rule — government
  23. charge — electricity
  24. safe — a strongbox

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