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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. can — to be able to
  4. fork — in a road
  5. kid — child
  6. ground — crushed
  7. can — a tin
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. degree — an amount
  10. kick — in football
  11. can — a tin
  12. ground — the earth
  13. firm — decided
  14. firm — a company
  15. firm — steady
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. degree — from a university
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ground — a position
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. degree — temperature
  24. kid — to tease

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