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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. fork — in a road
  3. pop — soda
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pop — to visit
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. degree — from a university
  16. rush — hurry
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. degree — an amount
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — music
  24. sharp — with an edge

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