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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. vault — a safe
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — in a road
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chip — for betting
  15. row — to paddle
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. degree — from a university
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. row — a line
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — to eat with

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