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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. field — for sport
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lean — to bend
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lean — thin
  11. degree — an amount
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — a subject
  14. shower — to wash
  15. object — to protest
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — an aim
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. fork — in a road
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. field — farmland
  24. spell — letters

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