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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. deal — to handle
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. club — a group
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. club — for golf
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. club — for dancing
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. clip — for paper
  16. clip — to cut
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. band — a music group
  19. race — humankind
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. clip — a video
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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