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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. spell — magic
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spell — letters
  9. degree — an amount
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fork — in a road
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. row — to paddle
  19. snap — to click
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. foot — a measure
  22. degree — from a university
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. dip — to dunk

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