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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. degree — from a university
  5. plane — a tool
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. rest — what's left
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. rest — what's left
  10. degree — an amount
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. degree — temperature
  13. chip — to eat
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — in cards
  16. rest — a break
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — help
  24. squash — the vegetable

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