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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. row — a line
  3. row — to paddle
  4. deal — to handle
  5. clip — a video
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. key — in music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. key — for a lock
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. clip — to cut
  19. saw — the tool
  20. key — the most important part
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — for paper

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