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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 116 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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fork — in a road
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rule — a law
  10. club — for dancing
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — to get on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. club — a group
  21. board — a committee
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. rule — government

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