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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. spring — a coil
  3. current — of water
  4. current — electric
  5. squash — the sport
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fork — in a road
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. squash — to crush
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spring — the season
  17. club — for golf
  18. rule — government
  19. spring — of water
  20. club — a group
  21. current — happening now
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rule — a law
  24. fan — to cool the air

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