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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — government
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — what's left
  9. toast — bread
  10. ground — crushed
  11. degree — from a university
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. drill — a practice
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ground — a position
  17. rest — a break
  18. drill — army training
  19. degree — an amount
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. drill — the tool
  22. degree — temperature
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. ground — the earth

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