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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rest — what's left
  3. degree — temperature
  4. can — a tin
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. can — to be able to
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — to visit
  10. row — a line
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. degree — an amount
  15. row — to paddle
  16. degree — from a university
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. rest — a break
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. fork — in a road
  24. rest — what's left

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