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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — from a university
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. craft — a skill
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. degree — an amount
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. degree — temperature
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — in a road
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. craft — boats
  21. prune — to trim
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. key — the most important part

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