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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fork — in a road
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. land — a country
  12. dip — to sink
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — ground
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. land — to come down
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. sharp — clever
  21. saw — the tool
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. degree — temperature
  24. fork — to eat with

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