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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rule — government
  6. file — a document
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. file — a tool
  9. bound — certain
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rule — a law
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — music
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cue — for pool
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cue — a hint
  24. spring — a coil

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