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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rule — a law
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rule — government
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. degree — from a university
  9. present — a gift
  10. kid — to tease
  11. present — the time now
  12. degree — an amount
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. degree — temperature
  16. can — to be able to
  17. kid — child
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. leaves — to go away

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