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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. degree — temperature
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. degree — from a university
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. kid — child
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. board — a committee
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — to tease
  21. degree — an amount
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. board — to get on

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