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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 120 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. stand — to bear
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. swing — to play on
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. swing — music
  19. scale — in music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. swing — in golf
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fan — a supporter

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