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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fork — in a road
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pit — in a race
  7. present — there
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chair — a leader
  10. present — the time now
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. cell — a phone
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. cold — an illness
  20. present — a gift
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. pit — a hole

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