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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. board — a committee
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bound — obliged
  19. board — to get on
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. bound — certain
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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