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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pop — soda
  6. rule — a law
  7. pop — to visit
  8. march — the month
  9. pop — music
  10. march — music
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. plane — a tool
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rule — government
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. march — the month
  23. foot — a measure
  24. saw — the tool

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