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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. squash — to crush
  3. fork — in a road
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. chip — to eat
  7. squash — the sport
  8. degree — temperature
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. craft — boats
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. degree — from a university
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chest — a box
  19. content — the amount
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chip — for betting
  24. craft — a skill

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