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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. net — after costs
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. net — for catching
  10. degree — an amount
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. net — in sport
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. wound — an injury
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a match
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — in a road

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