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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — temperature
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. object — a thing
  10. fork — in a road
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — to protest
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wind — moving air
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. degree — an amount
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. degree — from a university
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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