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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. degree — temperature
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chip — to eat
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. mate — to breed
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. spell — magic
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. spell — letters

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