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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. cell — in biology
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. roll — a list
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cell — a phone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — a committee
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. roll — a cake
  21. degree — temperature
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rock — music

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