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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. net — after costs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. net — for catching
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — in sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — of law
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. court — for sport
  20. sharp — clever
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cue — a hint
  24. pound — to hit hard

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