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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — certain
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — in a road
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. bound — obliged
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — tied together
  16. club — for golf
  17. object — to protest
  18. club — a group
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. fan — to cool the air

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