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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. snap — to click
  8. fork — in a road
  9. degree — an amount
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — the tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bank — for money
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rock — a stone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. degree — temperature
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bank — for money
  22. degree — from a university
  23. saw — the tool
  24. ball — a great time

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