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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. tear — from crying
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. squash — to crush
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — tied together
  12. squash — the sport
  13. spring — the season
  14. tear — to rip
  15. game — a match
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bound — obliged
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — of water
  21. tear — from crying
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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